The overwhelming proportion of Civil War naval-related photographs accessible online are held in the collections of the U.S. 1,4-6 Photographs are available for only a relatively small proportion of the total vessels that served during the Civil War naval action. 4 Vessels on both sides included armored vessels (ironclads), unarmored steam vessels, acquired combatant vessels, service vessels, sailing ships, torpedo boats, and river gunboats. 5 It is estimated that the Confederacy converted, contracted for, or initiated construction of at least 150 vessels, but only about half of these were completed and commissioned into service. 4 The Union navy expanded considerably, with construction of more than 200 vessels undertaken and over 400 vessels purchased. When the war began, the Union navy had approximately 90 ships, while the Confederate navy was almost nonexistent, with only about a dozen small vessels. 4 In both navies, these were a small fraction of the total number of soldiers who served on both sides. 3 In contrast, the Confederacy had planned a somewhat small navy of approximately 3,000 officers and enlisted men and this number was only rarely exceeded, peaking in the spring of 1864 with approximately 750 officers of all ranks and just over 4,400 enlisted men. 1,2 These numbers grew continually and by early 1865 reached a maximum of approximately 6,700 officers and 51,000 enlisted men, 1 although an estimated total of 84,415 officers and sailors served during the course of the conflict. In addition to publishing this naval-related guide, both guides will be updated as needed and will be available on both the Center’s website and on the magazine’s website ( At the start of the Civil War, there were approximately 1,200 officers of all ranks and 7,600 enlisted men in the Union navy.
Zeller and the Center, we have compiled this guide in the same format and, with regard to some sources listed in its guide, have modified the Center’s description to specifically describe finding the naval-related photographs. The Editors of Civil War Navy-The Magazine are pleased to offer the following “Guide to Finding Civil War Naval Photographs” to assist our subscribers and other naval enthusiasts in searching for naval-related photographs of the conflict.
#Civil war photos search update#
The Center has continued to update this guide and the latest version may be found on its website. 2012 10(1):8-10) to assist members of the Center and others searching for such photographs. The Center for Civil War Photography ( ) first published a “Guide to Finding Civil War Photographs” in the April 2012 issue of its journal (Zeller B. Guide to Finding Civil War Naval Photographs
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